This invention relates to a multi-groove pulley and method of making same.
An internal combustion engine installed in an automobile conventionally mounts various automotive accessories such as an electrical generator, water cooling fan, a water pump and an air conditioning unit. The accessories are driven via a plurality of axially spaced, endless drive belts trained around a multigroove pulley, which is mounted on an engine drive shaft, and a plurality of pulleys mounted on the drive shafts of the various accessories. One endless drive belt may, for example, be trained around a sheave portion of a multi-groove drive pulley and a driven pulley mounted on the drive shaft of an electrical generator. Another endless belt may be trained around an axially spaced sheave portion of a multi-groove drive pulley, an idler pulley, and a driven pulley mounted on the drive shaft of a fan or a power steering unit.
With the advent of petroleum shortages, it is particularly important that the gross weight of automobiles be minimized so that the fuel consumption rate is decreased. It is important therefor, that the gross belt-weight and the gross pulley weight of automobile engines be minimized. Some prior art belt drive pulleys have been cast or manufactured from machined bar stock and are relatively heavy and expensive to manufacture. The pulley constructed according to the present invention is lightweight and particularly adapted for use with a single, endless, multi-pyramid, drive belt which replaces the plurality of individual belts utilized heretofore on automobile internal combustion engines.
Pulleys constructed according to the present invention can be substituted for the internal combustion engine drive pulley, the idler pulleys or any or all of the plurality of driven pulleys of all of the automobile accessories. An internal combustion engine employing a multi-pyramid, serpentine belt will mount all of the pulleys in one vertical plane and the endless multi-pyramid belt will be trained therearound. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful, light weight, multigroove pulley for an endless multi-pyramid belt.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and novel method of inexpensively manufacturing a light-weight pulley.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pulley and method of making same which will minimize pulley eccentricity.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-groove pulley having a one-piece, cup-shaped mounting member mounting a multi-groove, belt receiving cylinder.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a pulley and method of making a pulley having a cup-shaped mounting member provided with an annular, axially disposed multi-wall thickness, retaining flange at the axially inner end and an annular, radially outwardly flaring retaining opposed, retaining flange at the axially outer end.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making a pulley including the step of radially outwardly bulging and folding an axially inner, annular portion of a sidewall of a cup shaped member and thereafter radially outwardly flaring an annular, terminal end portion of the sidewall to provide a retaining flange.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method of making a pulley for a multi-pyramid belt including the steps of outwardly bulging an axially inner portion of a cylindrical sidewall of a cup-shaped member, to form an axially inner, retaining flange, mounting a hollow, cylindrical, belt receiving member on the cylindrical sidewall and thereafter bending the terminal end portion of the sidewall into bearing engagement with the outer end wall of the cylindrical, belt receiving member.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art as the description thereof proceeds.